Friday, January 25, 2013

What a whirlwind. You know when things just start to go right? Like when you are driving toward a red light and it changes green before you even need to break? Or when doors start flinging open (metaphorically speaking) and make getting where you want to go a little easier? Sometimes, the Universe conspires to help you do whatever it is you want to do by placing the right person, object, or opportunity in your way at precisely the right time. It's an incredible phenomenon and, if you pay close attention and put the right energy out there, it will happen more than you think. My friend Melody said that this means you are on the right path, that when doors start opening, it's a good sign that you should keep moving through them.

The past couple weeks, I was worried we weren't on the right path anymore. It felt as if the Universe was trying to tell us something. That we'd strayed. That we'd taken a wrong turn. I wondered if we'd made some bad choices. I considered re-evaluating our timeline and our plan. We ran into wall after wall and the stress was so thick around here it was almost tangible (we were careful to spare Isla from it and judging from her perma-grin these days, we succeeded). Yesterday, however, it became clear that despite the hiccups and mishaps, we are still in fact on the right path. Phew. Turns out, the Universe was just toughening us up a bit.

Yesterday was a really good day. Scott and I got some fantastic news regarding our sales tax issue. Turns out we qualify for a further extension after all. You cannot even imagine how happy this makes us. Once we got that news, we got a second wind. We were unstoppable. We got to work tackling projects and coming up with solutions for problems that we had been agonizing over for weeks. We even got two new sponsors, one after another (more on these later!). It's amazing how incredibly powerful and motivating good news can be. Things start happening. Then more things start happening. Like a domino effect, the Universe gets on a roll. Boy did we need it.

A couple of blog followers contacted us to let us know they would be in town yesterday afternoon. Busy with new momentum and up to our eyeballs in work, it was very tempting to tell them "sorry, no", but they were only passing through this one day and I felt terrible turning them away. I am so glad I didn't because not only are they wonderful people, but Dean helped Scott finish up a small project and worked with him to fix our refrigerator (which ironically stopped working the very day a technician came and serviced it*). They even gave us their spare set of pressure gauges (which just so happened to be in their car) so that we could check and service our refrigerator ourselves in the future. "Pay it forward" they said with a smile. Karma is a big deal in the cruising world. No good deed goes unseen by Poseidon. If you can help, you should. This is the unspoken code of sailors. Imagine the world if this were the unspoken code of human beings.

We're not out of the woods yet, but we're moving forward with new vigor, energy and perspective. We don't know how long it will last but we're going to ride this wave of good energy and fortune...hopefully right to the Bahamas and beyond.

* Note to any boaters getting work done down here: DO RESEARCH. Get referrals. Check references. There might be a lot of people working on boats down here, but those who are doing very good work seem to be few and far between. We've fallen victim to trusting simply because we're in a boating capital and that must mean working people know what they are doing. Not true.

4 comments:

I can't tell you how thrilled I am for you guys. Sometimes life can get daunting and frustrating, but then again, it's what makes us tougher, stronger, and more wise so that we make the right decisions when the shit really does hit the fan. I think you are DEFINITELY on the right path, and I truly could not be happier for you!

Hi Guys You are doing what we call “paying your school fees”! Sometimes it feels like one pays a whole lot more than is fair but that’s life on the high seas. We have been through similar situations and low and behold, as “wise" as we are after many years and 50,000 miles of sailing/cruising, we still have the gremlins play tricks on us. Good luck! I agree with you about doing one’s research in the marine industry in Ft Lauderdale…not all repair services are created equal and I have a recommendation for repairs in Fort Lauderdale. Craig from www.mazocean.com is a gem. We recommend them to all our clients and we have yet to recieve a complaint. All my clients will be happy to tell you about their experiences with Mazocean.

Start from the Beginning:

Currently cruising around the US and British Virgin Islands with our newest crew members,twin girls, we plan to remain here for the entire season as we adjust to life aboard with "three under three". We're having a blast! If you are in the area, look us up!